(January 8, 2019) – Portland Partner and Chair of Lewis Brisbois’ Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice Sean Hoar was recently quoted in an article from Legaltech news, titled “Privacy Becomes Focus for Small Business With Tight Cyber Budgets”. In the article, Mr. Hoar discusses the data privacy and security issues faced by small business and start-ups, primarily in identifying and prioritizing cybersecurity needs and budgets. In addressing how some start-ups often are not aware of their cybersecurity needs or obligations until it becomes dangerous, Mr. Hoar said:

“At some point they wake up and realize that they’re processing 10,000 payment cards a week or a month and then they say, ‘Gee, what should we be doing about this?’”

In helping clients allocate their discretionary spending on cybersecurity, Mr. Hoar explained how his Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Team works with clients:

“A lot of it is really just going where the client is, and … scoping out where their needs are,” said Mr. Hoar. “I think that’s where sometimes businesses go sideways, or maybe firms don’t provide the right services and actually listen to what a client needs.”

Mr. Hoar also spoke about the importance of third-party contracts and the consequences of not being compliant with those contracts.

“Businesses are finally waking up to third-party liability, and so a lot of businesses are now recognizing that third-party contracts are actually critical,” Mr. Hoar said. “If [businesses are] compromised, they’re not compliant and that contributes to the breach. They can face a large amount of assessments from payment card brands that could put them out of business.”

The article closes with Mr. Hoar’s philosophy on how to protect your business from cyber threats.

“I think everybody needs to recognize that information security is a marathon, not a sprint. You put one foot in front of the other. You’ll never be able to accomplish it all at once but you’ve got to start moving forward or leaning forward today,” Mr. Hoar said.